Issue 91 Fall - NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL—FATIGUE
2014 COMMERCIAL FISHING FATALITIES
GUIDE TO OSHA’S TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
IN THE RACE TO ALASKA
ARE YOU READY FOR THE SEASON?
INDUSTRY PUSHES FOR EXAMS EVERY TWO YEARS
Issue No. 91
Fall 2015
CLARIFICATION OF MANDATORY SAFETY EXAMS FOR COMMERCIAL
FISHING VESSELS
USCG Marine Safety Information Bulletin, 10/20/2015
This bulletin provides clarification about the five-year mandatory dockside safety exam that applies to
many commercial fishing vessels (CFVs).
• Effective October 15, 2015, the law requires completion of a mandatory dockside safety exam on certain CFVs at least once every five years. (See the answer to the first question below to determine if your
CFV must comply.)
• Any affected CFV that has not successfully completed a dockside exam on or after January 1, 2013
must get an exam to be in compliance with the law.
• Any affected CFV found not in compliance with the safety exam requirement could be subject to civil
penalty action or operational controls.
• We will continue to use the “two-year” Safety Decal for all successful exams, mandatory or otherwise.
• We understand that many vessels have been getting exams more frequently than once every five years,
and we will continue to offer a free exam whenever requested or required for another reason.
• We will develop regulations that include the requirement for us to issue a Certificate of Compliance to
document a five-year mandatory exam. Until then, we will use the two-year Safety Decal to demonstrate compliance with any exam requirement.
• We still highly encourage you to get an exam every two years to ensure all of your vessel’s safety and
survival equipment are up to date and installed properly.
What CFVs are affected by the exam requirement? A mandatory exam was required by the Coast
Guard Authorization Act of 2010 and the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012, the
latter of which required a period of at least once every five years. This applies to State-registered and
Federally-documented CFVs that: 1) operate beyond 3 nautical miles from the territorial sea Baseline or
Great Lakes coastline; 2) operate anywhere with more than 16 persons on board (including within 3
miles of the Baseline or Great Lakes coastline); or 3) are fish tender vessels engaged in the Aleutian
trade. Additional background is in our bulletin of December 2014 and our open letter of August 2015.
Both references are available at www.fishsafe.info.
When must I have last had an exam? To meet the mandatory five-year dockside safety exam requirement, a CFV must have successfully completed an exam on or after January 1, 2013. A CFV that has
never been examined must have completed an exam prior to October 15, 2015 to be in compliance. A
CFV that successfully completed an exam after January 1, 2013 has five years from the date of that
successful exam to complete another exam under the law. Please note that other requirements may mean
more frequent exams. Fish processing vessels and fish tender vessels engaged in the Aleutian trade
require an exam every two years. (See 46 CFR Part 28, Subparts F and G). Also, NOAA’s National
Marine Fisheries Service requires vessels that carry a NOAA Fisheries Observer to have passed an exam within the past 2 years or the Observer will not deploy, which may restrict the vessel from fishing.
[See 50 CFR, Part 600.746(b)-(d)].
Continued page 2
Contributed by Arxcis, Inc.
CRANE COMMUNICATION
Safe use of a crane is compromised when the
vision of the crane operator, rigger, or signal
person is blocked and they cannot see what
the others are doing. For this reason a means
of communication between all directly involved in the lift is necessary. Consider the
following accident:
In 2009 a crane operator was helping to load
cargo into the hold of a ship. The corner of
the descending load partially landed on a
stack of previously stored cargo. There was
no one watching the load or warning employees of the descending load. The crane operator did not have a clear view of the hold deck
or the landing zone and the load continued to
descend after it had become caught. The corner of the load slid off and an employee between the load and the stored cargo was
crushed to death. What went wrong?
There is no mention of a signal person or
someone helping to direct the load. It’s possible that the operator thought he could do this
one lift without any help since the hold was
nearly full. He may have been successful on
previous lifts. But, it takes just one mistake to
cause a fatality. Certainly, the use of a signal
person here would have prevented this fatality. Often, operators and signal persons become casual about safety and let their guard
down, then one day something unexpectedly
happens and someone is killed or injured.
This issue of the NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program Newsletter
was made possible by a contribution from
American Environmental Services LLC
NPFVOA Member since 2008
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
1
Fall 2015, Issue 91
ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL: WHEN FATIGUE CATCHES UP
Continued from page 1
We will schedule and provide a free exam and issue a two-year Safety
Decal to meet any requirement whenever requested.
How will the Coast Guard know I’m in compliance with any exam
requirement and what happens when a vessel doesn’t meet the mandatory exam requirement? Until regulations are developed creating a
Certificate of Compliance, our boarding officers will determine compliance with the five-year mandatory exam requirement by checking the
issue date on the decal, or by viewing the exam report/booklet (CG-5587)
for the date the exam was successfully completed. If it is within the last
five years and on or after January 1, 2013, the vessel meets the requirement. If a vessel is boarded and it hasn’t had the required five-year mandatory or other required exam, the operator or vessel could be subject to
civil penalty action or operational controls.
Why is the Coast Guard going to eventually issue a Certificate of
Compliance? The law that mandated the dockside safety exams also directed that a Certificate of Compliance be issued to a vessel that meets the
requirements of Chapter 45, Title 46 United States Code. A Certificate of
Compliance for commercial fishing vessels is still being developed. Until
that time, the safety decal will demonstrate compliance with the exam
requirement. Note: A copy of the exam report/booklet, also known as
Form CG-5587, signed by the examiner and showing the decal number is
provided to the owner and/or operator of the vessel after successfully
completing an exam. This form will also demonstrate compliance with the
exam requirement.
Are Voluntary Exams still offered? Yes. As we have for over 20 years,
we will continue to conduct no-cost, no-fault voluntary dockside safety
exams on CFVs, issuing a decal valid for two years upon successful completion of the exam. The decal shows compliance with applicable requirements at the time. A voluntary exam is offered as frequently as requested.
This program is not changing. We highly recommend every CFV, even
those not subject to mandatory exams, maintain a current two-year Safety
Decal, which could facilitate a more streamlined safety check if we board
you at sea. Please note that we may board you at any time or frequency to
ensure compliance with safety and survival equipment and other requirements for your vessel, as well as for fisheries enforcement.
Are the Mandatory and Voluntary Exams the same? Yes. The safety
and survival equipment and systems requirements that are checked for
compliance on a vessel are the same whether it is a required exam or one
voluntarily requested, and a safety decal will be issued in either case when
completed successfully.
How do I request a Dockside Safety Exam? Request and schedule an
exam by contacting your local Coast Guard Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner directly, or via a link on the Coast Guard’s CFV Program web site at
www.fishsafe.info. Third party organizations are also authorized to conduct dockside safety exams and issue decals on behalf of the Coast Guard;
they include American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Det Norske Veritas/
Germanischer Lloyd (DNV/GL), Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors
(SAMS), National Association of Marine Surveyors (NAMS), NAVTECH
US Surveyors Association, and Bowditch Marine, Inc. These organizations should be contacted directly to schedule an exam. They can conduct
the mandatory exam, a required exam, or a voluntary exam.
Who should I contact if I have questions? Please contact the Coast
Guard Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance, Fishing Vessels Division (CG-CVC-3) at 202-372-1249 or by email at CGCVC@uscg.mil. Or,
you may also contact your local Coast Guard District Fishing Vessel Safety Coordinator or local Sector Fishing Vessel Safety Examiner. The points
of contact for these individuals can be found on the web site
www.fishsafe.info by selecting the “Locate Examiners” tab.
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
USCG Safety Alert, 9/1/2015
This safely alert addresses a recent increase in the number of groundings
on Alaskan shorelines involving uninspected commercial fishing vessels.
Since July 14, 2015, a total of 16 reported groundings have occurred. In a
number of investigations, it was learned that the captain or crewmembers
on the vessel had fallen asleep at the wheel after working extensive hours
over several days. Fatigue may have been a causal factor in many of these
instances. Fatigue symptoms are not limited to just a person falling asleep.
Fatigue issues are strongly related to human errors and poor performance.
Nearly all modes of transportation are impacted by fatigue and many studies have been performed about its negative short- and long-term effects.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has formulated a definition
of fatigue in which fatigue is conceptualized as a “reduction in physical
and/or mental capacity as the result of physical, mental, or emotional exertion which may impair nearly all physical abilities including strength,
speed, reaction time, coordination, decision making or balance.” The IMO
acknowledges the relation between fatigue and human error as indicated
above. Fatigue can also be divided into categories in many different ways.
However, systematic studies seem to find between three and five dimensions, including general fatigue (e.g., tired, bushed, exhausted), mental
fatigue (e.g., cognitive impairment), physical fatigue, sleepiness with a
tendency to fall asleep, and sometimes lack of motivation or complacency.
In very general terms, fatigue and its ill effects can be minimized by persons receiving periods of good quality uninterrupted rest.
Crewmembers often work long hours on fishing vessels, performing physically demanding tasks in harsh environments. Crewmembers may not be
afforded sufficient time for recuperative sleep to prevent the development
of acute fatigue due to vessel navigation and fishing or process demands.
Many of the processes onboard a vessel must occur in a timely fashion and
particular order. Skipping one element at a certain point of time may have
negative economic impacts. For example, providing a six-hour rest period
in lieu of dropping another set of crab pots would likely be an industry
anomaly and result in a reduction of revenue for a specific period of time.
Captains and crewmembers are generally not assured a rest period at any
specific time or in a scheduled manner. In addition to the fishing element
of business, the vessel must be continuously navigated and herein is the
problem. The captain in command of the vessel has to be aware of his own
degradation of mental and physical capabilities and at the same time ensure
that his relief on the wheel (if any at all) has had an adequate period of rest
in order to safely navigate the vessel. Similarly for other crewmembers,
monitoring is necessary because when the ill effects of fatigue finally catch
up to an individual, the results can be a procedural mistake, error in judgment, or an action/inaction resulting in an injury or death. For those at the
wheel, the consequences of improperly navigating a vessel can be extreme
including the following: injuries and loss of life; loss of cargo, vessel or
income; incurrence of repair and salvage costs; and harm to the environment. Such events can also potentially lead to fines, civil penalties, and
criminal prosecutions.
To prevent these types of casualties, the Coast Guard recommends that
owners of fishing vessels take advantage of the existing technology that
can help prevent persons from falling asleep at the helm. Such technology
may include the installation of watchstander alarms which sound and require silencing at preset intervals or the use of various safety and warning
features associated with GPS, radar, depth sounding and other electronic
equipment. However, it is critically important that such equipment should
only be used as backup measures and not as a methodology to facilitate a
navigator’s sleep while underway.
The best defense against a fatigue-related navigation casualty is a wellrested watchstander who is later relieved by another watchstander that has
had adequate time to sleep. The Coast Guard recommends that all fishing
vessel owners and captains learn about Crew Endurance Management,
which is a system for managing the risk factors in maritime work environments that can lead to human error and performance degradation. For very
general information: http://tinyurl.com/cgcempamp, for more detailed data:
http://tinyurl.com/cgdatacem.
2
Fall 2015, Issue 91
FISHING INDUSTRY PUSHES FOR SAFETY EXAMS
EVERY TWO YEARS
LIFE ON THE LINE: 2014 COMMERCIAL FISHING
FATALITIES HIGHLIGHT SUCCESSES AND
WELL-KNOWN HAZARDS
Hal Bernton, Seattle Times, 9/27/2015
Sam Case and Ted Teske, NIOSH Western States Division
The Coast Guard will require commercial fishing vessels to undergo
dockside safety examinations only once every five years, a move that
North Pacific industry officials are protesting as far too infrequent.
The industry officials want the exams, which became mandatory Oct. 15,
to be required every two years so that the Coast Guard has a better chance
of spotting torn survival suits, malfunctioning alarms and other safety
problems.
Commercial fishing has long ranked as one of the most deadly occupations in the nation. Plenty of people within the industry have bridled at
regulations that have come about in recent decades, so it’s unusual to have
some call for tougher oversight. But the North Pacific industry officials
said in their letter that the two-year interval would do a much better job of
overseeing safety and could save lives.
“Once every half decade is just a really bad idea,” said Chris Woodley,
executive director of the Seattle-based Groundfish Forum and a member
of the Coast Guard’s Fishing Vessel Safety Advisory Committee. He is
one of 15 representatives of North Pacific fishery associations and seafood
companies that have signed onto the protest letter sent this month to U.S.
Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft.
The Coast Guard has been conducting voluntary dockside exams for more
than two decades, issuing a sticker valid for two years that states the vessel is in compliance with federal safety laws.
That sticker has become an important marker of safety for insurance companies and is now required by NOAA Fisheries before they will allow
federal fishery observers aboard a vessel to monitor their catch. In their
letter to Zukunft, the North Pacific industry officials credit these examinations with helping to reduce fishermen deaths off Alaska.
But in ports across the country, some fishermen have balked at letting
Coast Guard teams aboard to examine their vessels. So, in 2010, Congress
passed an overhaul of fishing-industry safety legislation that included a
provision making examinations every two years a requirement for all commercial fishing vessels that operate more than three miles off the nation’s
coast.
Then in 2012, before that part of the law took effect, Congress approved
an amendment to make exams a requirement “at least once every five
years.” That requirement took effect Oct. 15.
Coast Guard officials say the wording of the 2012 legislation still gives
them the power to enforce a two-year interval for the checks, but only if
the agency has first developed regulations to implement the law.
So far, the Coast Guard has not issued any regulations for the 2012 law,
and it’s unclear how long that will take.
In the meantime, fishing vessel owners are free to voluntarily request a
two-year examination. But the Coast Guard has concluded the agency
only has the power to require examinations every five years, according to
Lt. Sarah Janaro, a Coast Guard public affairs officer.
That interpretation is challenged by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who
serves on a Senate subcommittee with oversight of fishing-industry safety
legislation.
In a letter sent to Zukunft, she said the change in the 2012 legislation was
only intended to give the Coast Guard the flexibility to allow five-year
exams for certain low-risk fisheries.
She called the decision to make the five-year interval the rule — rather
than the exception — a “sudden and hasty policy change” that was done
“without input from industry or commercial fishing vessel safety experts.”
She asked Zukunft to immediately reverse the policy.
“We cannot cut corners when fishermen’s lives are at stake,” Cantwell
wrote.
Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
Commercial fishing remained one of the top three deadliest occupations in
2014 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. NIOSH analysis of the
numbers over the past 15 years show progress is being made in some areas
while other well-known hazards continue to put fishermen at risk.
During 2000-2014, 694 fishermen in the U.S. died as a result of workrelated incidents. While commercial fishing remains a high-risk occupation, the number of fatalities has decreased 34% during this time period,
and 2014 saw the lowest number of annual fatalities in NIOSH’s database.
Last year, 29 work-related deaths were recorded in the commercial fishing
industry nationwide, down from the previous average of about 48 fatalities
per year. Commercial fishing deaths were due to a number of causes
(Figure 1). For the first time since NIOSH began keeping nationwide records, the largest proportion of deaths were attributable to falls overboard,
where 12 (41%) fishermen died due to drowning. As has been the case
since NIOSH starting tracking national data in 2000, none of the fishermen
were wearing a PFD when they died, and half of the falls were not witnessed.
Eight (28%) fishermen died as the result of five vessel disasters, the typical
leading cause of fisherman fatalities. Vessel disasters are defined as catastrophic incidents that occur to a vessel (e.g., sinking, capsizing, burning,
grounding) that require all crewmembers to abandon the vessel. During
2000-2014, vessel disasters accounted for 50% of fatalities in the commercial fishing industry.
The remaining nine fatalities were caused by on-board injuries (four, 14%),
on-shore injuries (three, 10%), and diving injuries (two, 7%).
Examining
fatalities by
region and
2, 7%
fishery is imFall Overboard
portant, as
3, 10%
different fleets
Vessel Disaster
12, 41%
experience
4, 14%
different hazOn-board Injury
ards. Alaska
and the East
On-shore Injury
Coast regions
8, 28%
saw nine fatalDiving Injury
ities each,
followed by
the Gulf of
Mexico (seven deaths), West Coast (two deaths), and Hawaii (two deaths).
When examining fatalities by fishery, the southern shrimp fleet in the Gulf
of Mexico had the highest number of fatalities (five, 17%), followed by
East Coast lobstermen (four, 14%) and Alaska salmon set gillnetters (three,
10%). All other fisheries had two or fewer fatalities. In the past 15 years,
Gulf of Mexico shrimpers and Alaska salmon fishermen have experienced
the highest number of deaths (81 and 58 fatalities, respectively).
Based on the data in 2014 it appears that commercial fishermen are doing a
better job of surviving vessel disasters, but there is still work to be done to
prevent single fatal events from falls overboard and deck injuries. Make
sure to work with your crew on a PFD policy for your vessel, and conduct
your monthly safety drills, including man overboard scenarios. Consider
taking time to address deck hazards around winches through training or
installation of emergency stops or guards. The industry is heading in the
right direction, but we can’t stop until every fisherman comes home safe
and healthy.
For more information on PFDs for commercial fishermen visit
www.livetobesalty.org. To learn more about preventing falls overboard
and conducting man overboard drills watch the NIOSH video “Man Overboard: Prevention and Recovery” online at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
docs/2011-126d/.
3
Fall 2015, Issue 91
NPFVOA NEWS
UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO OSHA
TRAINING REQUIREMENTS NOW AVAILABLE
ARE YOU READY FOR THE SEASON?
OSHA QuickTakes, 8/3/2015
NPFVOA can help you meet all your safety goals before your crew leaves
for the next fishing season.
Karen Conrad, NPFVOA, 11/5/2015
OSHA has posted a fully updated version of its guide to all agency training
requirements to help employers, safety and health professionals, training
directors, and others comply with the law and keep workers safe. Training
Requirements in OSHA Standards, https://www.osha.gov/Publications/
osha2254.pdf, organizes the training requirements into five categories:
General Industry, Maritime, Construction, Agriculture and Federal Employee Programs.
The safety and health training requirements in OSHA standards have prevented countless workplace tragedies by ensuring that workers have the
required skills and knowledge to safely do their work. These requirements
reflect OSHA’s belief that training is an essential part of every employer’s
safety and health program for protecting workers from injuries and illnesses. For a list of educational materials available from OSHA, please visit the
publication’s webpage, https://www.osha.gov/pls/publications/
publication.html.
OSHA ANNOUNCES TOP 10 CITATIONS FOR FY2015
National Safety Compliance, 10/8/2015
We can educate your crew on abandon ship methods in a 2-hour course in
a pool, at the dock at Fishermen’s Terminal, or off your vessel.
Need fire fighting training? In addition to teaching STCW Basic Fire
Fighting, we can
schedule Team
Fire Fighting in
either Bremerton
or North Bend.
Tired of the
same drills? Try
the updated burn
tower in Bremerton!
Want to run
drills onboard
your vessel with
your crew?
NPFVOA’s
instructor Capt. Dave Shoemaker, with over 30 years fishing experience,
can come on your boat, cover all required drills and review all the safety
equipment with your crew. Is you vessel in Dutch Harbor? We can travel
to you!
At the 2015 NSC Congress & Expo, OSHA announced the preliminary
“Top 10” most frequently cited workplace safety violations for fiscal year
2015. Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the “Top 10” on the Expo floor.
“In injury prevention, we go where the data tell us to go,” said National
Safety Council President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman. “The OSHA
‘Top 10’ list is a roadmap that identifies the hazards you want to avoid on
the journey to safety excellence.”
The “Top 10” for FY 2015 are:

Fall Protection (1926.501) – 6,721

Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 5,192

Scaffolding (1926.451) – 4,295

Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,305

Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 3,002

Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,760

Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,489

Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305) – 2,404

Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 2,295

Electrical – General Requirements (1910.303) – 1,973
The resolution of these safety issues should be the priority at every workplace in the U.S. These are the items that cause the majority of the deaths
and injuries and these same topics are those which OSHA Compliance
Officers look for and find most often.
DR. MICHAELS TESTIFIES ON OSHA’S EFFORTS TO
IMPROVE WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH
OSHA QuickTakes, 10/15/2015
In testimony to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections on
Oct. 7, Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels described how, with limited resources, OSHA achieves its mission through a balanced approach of
standards, compliance assistance, enforcement, outreach and whistleblower protection.
“We recognize that most employers want to keep their employees safe and
make great efforts to protect them from workplace hazards,” Dr. Michaels
told the committee. “Our enforcement program specifically targets the
most dangerous workplaces, where workers are most likely to be hurt on
the job, and the most recalcitrant employers. For those employers who
need technical assistance, we provide free on-site consultations to small
employers, as well as other compliance assistance, educational materials
and training.” Dr. Michaels also detailed challenges in addressing the
changing structure of employment relationships, such as the dramatic increase in temporary workers in virtually every type of workplace. Unless
properly managed, these structural employment changes greatly increase
risks of injuries and illnesses among all the workers in these workplaces.
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
Check out NPFVOA’s full class schedule at www.npfvoa.org or call us
today at 206-285-3383.
Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.
—Benjamin Franklin
4
Fall 2015, Issue 91
OTHER NEWS
OTHER NEWS
WHY DID THIS HAPPEN? TRAGIC DEATHS OF THREE
CREW ON TRAWLER HIGHLIGHT SAFETY CONCERNS
IN B.C. FISHING INDUSTRY
NONPROFIT GROUP’S MISSION IS TO KEEP
FISHERMEN SAFE
Sam Mintz, Cape Cod Times, 10/16/2015
HYANNIS — Eighteen fishermen from around New England took to the
seas of Hyannis Inner Harbor for free training put on by a nonprofit group
called Fishing Partnership Support Services.
The fishermen donned inflatable immersion suits, put out fires, plugged
leaks, and lit flares, supervised and coached by Coast Guard-certified instructors from various companies and organizations involved in fishing
safety and equipment.
“You don’t want to be doing this stuff for the first time when you’re out
on the water,” said the organization’s safety training coordinator Luis
Catala, a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard. “This is a great chance for them
to practice and learn.”
The nonprofit started doing trainings in 2005 and now offers about 10 a
year across New England. It has trained 2,700 fishermen in that time, said
Vice President Andra Athos. In addition to the trainings, the group’s other
main effort is providing health insurance to commercial fishermen, only
10 percent of whom are insured, through the Affordable Care Act.
“Our mission is to ensure the health and well-being of the commercial
fishing community,” Athos said. “That doesn’t mean just fishermen, it also
means their families and their communities.”
The instructors, like at all of the trainings, were contractors from a variety
of organizations, but they had something in common: They’re all advocates for fishing safety, Catala said.
“A lot of them have lost friends or family members in accidents, and
they’re very committed to teaching this stuff and avoiding those kinds of
tragedies,” he said.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Massachusetts State Police also
volunteered at the training. The Coast Guard brought a trailer, specifically
designed for damage control training, which sprung leaks as the fishermen,
in teams of two, took turns using various materials to stop the leaks. An
occasional sharp change in pressure sent spurts up in the air, soaking the
crowd of onlookers.
“You’re never going to stop 100 percent of this stuff, you just want to
control it,” shouted instructor Jacob Cabral, who works for Life Raft and
Survival Equipment, as he hammered a plug into one of the pipes on board
the demonstration vessel.
In the harbor, fishermen wearing inflatable immersion suits took turns
stepping into the water and floating, as they practiced maneuvering in the
suits and climbing into a life raft. Two state police divers hovered in the
water nearby, which Catala said serves as both training for them and a
comfort to the fishermen, who are not always experienced swimmers despite making a career out of being on the water.
Later in the daylong training came a life raft workshop and a firefighting
lesson.
This newsletter is published quarterly by the North Pacific Fishing Vessel
Owners’ Association (NPFVOA) Vessel Safety Program and is free to members. To receive a subscription, please consider joining NPFVOA by completing the membership form on the back page and mailing it to NPFVOA
with the appropriate fee. Memberships are annual, and all contributions
are tax deductible.
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program Staff
Karen Conrad – Executive Director
Rebecca Hanratty – Program Coordinator
Brie Vennard – Program Assistant
info@npfvoa.org
www.npfvoa.org
For your convenience, current and past issues of our
newsletter are available online at npfvoa.org.
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
5
Dan Fumano, The Province, 9/16/2015
It’s hard work to sift through the wreckage of a sunken fishing boat, investigate what happened and what failed, and analyze structural integrity,
meteorological conditions, shipyard maintenance records, and, in some
cases, a coroner’s autopsy.
But, said Glenn Budden, senior marine investigator with the Transportation
Safety Board, the devastation back home is harder to deal with than the
wreckage at sea.
Talking to grieving spouses and children of fishermen who never returned
from a voyage, Budden said, is “definitely the hardest part of the job. They
want to know why? Why did this happen?”
For many commercial fishermen in B.C., working at sea is the only life
they’ve ever known, a vocation that runs through generations of families.
But worries about safety are weighing like an anchor on many of those
working in the Pacific — and their loved ones back on shore — in the
wake of the sinking of the Caledonian, a 30-meter trawler that capsized off
the coast of Vancouver Island in September, killing three of its four crew
members. The tragedy made 2015 the deadliest year for B.C. fishermen in
a decade, Budden said, with a total of six deaths so far.
Budden, who worked for 35 years as a commercial fisherman in B.C. before joining the TSB, said the sinking of the Caledonian has just been classified as a “class-3 occurrence,” meaning it will receive a full investigation,
a process that usually takes a year or more.
The risks are not new. A 2012 TSB investigative report into fishing vessel
safety said: “Fish harvesting carries risks, and the reality is that a wide
range of safety deficiencies persists,” including stability, crew training, and
unsafe operating practices.
Loss of life on fishing vessels is one of the TSB’s priority “watchlist” issues, and the board has repeatedly made recommendations for regulations
to address safety deficiencies. But as a TSB report released this summer
says: “Although regulations have been proposed to address several of the
safety deficiencies, there have been significant delays in the implementation of some of these initiatives.”
That report, into a fatal sinking last year in B.C., “highlights recurring
issues with fishing vessel safety.”
The TSB’s assessment of Transport Canada’s progress on at least five of
those recommendations is currently “unsatisfactory.”
A Transport Canada spokeswoman said in an email that the department is
“working to finalize new Fishing Vessel Safety Regulations ... which will
address a number of the TSB recommendations.” Transport Canada was
not able to provide a timeline for the new regulations.
But regulations are only part of the answer, fishermen and their advocates
say. In recent years, the changing economics of B.C.’s fishing industry
have made it harder to retain experienced crew members.
Wayne Allen worked for 10 years on the Caledonian, but quit the boat
about three years ago when the money he could earn on a trip suddenly
plummeted by half.
“It’s a trend across the industry,” Allen said. “It’s harder for guys to make
a living. A lot of guys have left the industry and gone to the oilpatch, or
found something else to do.”
The increased turnover has an effect on safety, he said, because: “You’ve
got to have good people with you . . . When one guy quit, you couldn’t get
a guy good enough to replace him.”
One veteran fisherman, a friend of the Caledonian’s skipper Wesley Hagglund who died in the accident, said safety worries have him “actively
looking” for a new line of work after two decades in B.C. commercial fishing.
“Over time, it’s gotten worse, not better,” said the fisherman, who asked to
be identified only as Danny. “Is it worth anybody’s life? Absolutely not. I
can’t feed my kids if I’m dead.”
Fall 2015, Issue 91
NOV. 2015–SEPT. 2016 CLASS SCHEDULE
SAFETY BITES & MEMBER NEWS
STCW 5-day Basic Training (BT)
$975 Members / $1,075 Non-members
Nov. 9-13, Dec. 7-11, Jan. 4-8, Feb. 8-12, Mar. 14-18, Apr. 11-15,
May 9-13, Jun. 20-24, Jul. 18-22, Aug. 22-26, Sept. 19-23
STCW Basic Training Refresher
$700 Members / $750 Non-members
Nov. 10/11/12, Dec. 8/9/10, Jan. 4/6/8, Feb. 8/10/11, Mar. 14/16/17,
Apr. 11/13/14, May 9/11/12, June 21/22/23, other dates TBD
Medical Emergencies at Sea
$110 Members / $135 Non-members
Nov. 11, Dec. 9, Jan. 4, Feb. 8, Mar. 14, Apr. 11, May 9, Jun. 22, Jul. 20,
Aug. 26, Sept. 19
2-Day Basic Fire Fighting
$495 Members / $515 Non-members
Nov. 9-10, Dec. 7-8, Jan. 7-8, Feb. 9-10, Mar. 15-16, Apr. 12-13,
May 10-11, Jun. 20-21, Jul. 18-19, Aug. 22-23, Sept. 20-21
Drill Instructor Workshop
$110 Members / $135 Non-members
Nov. 10, Dec. 8, Dec. 18, Jan. 11, Feb. 17, Mar. 8, Apr. 5, May 19, Jun. 8,
Jul. 12, Aug. 10, Sept. 16
Shipyard Competent Person
$475 Members / $495 Non-members
Nov. 11-13, Dec. 9-11, Jan. 6-8, Feb. 3-5, Mar. 2-4, Apr. 6-8, May 4-6,
Jun. 1-3, Jul. 6-8, Sept. 7-9
Shipyard Competent Person Refresher
$185 Members / $195 Non-members
Nov. 13, Dec. 11, Jan. 8, Feb. 5, Mar. 4, Apr. 8, May 6, Jun. 3, Jul. 8,
Sept. 9
Safety Equipment & Survival Procedures
$210 Members / $240 Non-members
Dec. 16, Apr. 28, Jun. 14, Aug. 16
4-Day STCW Medical Care Provider
$995 Members / $1,100 Non-members
Dec. 1-4
24-Hour HAZWOPER Technician
$375 Members / $400 Non-members
Nov. 23-25, Dec. 28-30, Jan. 25-27, Feb. 22-24, Mar. 28-30, Apr. 25-27,
May 23-25, Jun. 27-29, Jul. 25-27, Aug. 29-31, Sept. 12-14
8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher
$150 Members / $175 Non-members
On first or last day of 24-Hour class
Specimen Collection Certification
$100 Members / $125 Non-members
Dec. 3, Dec. 8, Jan. 14, Feb. 18, Mar. 10, Apr. 19, May 17, Jun. 16, Jul. 14,
Aug. 4, Sept. 15
8-Hour Shipboard Damage Control
$250 Members / $265 Non-members
Nov. 17, Dec. 3
AB Seamen Unlimited
$950 Members / $950 Non-members
Nov. 2-11
Oupv—Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel
“Six Pack”
$850 Members / $850 Non-members
Nov. 30-Dec. 8
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
NEW MEMBERS
NPFVOA is pleased to welcome the following new members:
Associates:

Teknotherm Refrigeration
Individuals:

Captain Jonathan Pearson
THANK YOU!
We greatly appreciate the following donations from our members and
friends in the industry:

Aleutian Spray Fisheries—Immersion Suits

Premier Pacific Seafoods—Immersion Suits

Shelford Fisheries—Immersion Suits
IN THE RACE TO ALASKA, ALASKA’S MARINERS SAIL
STRAIGHT ON ‘TIL MORNING
Sierra Seiver, Westward Fishing Company, 10/19/2015
In June 2015, 40 entrants set out
on the inaugural open adventure
race, the Race to Alaska
(www.r2ak.com). Starting in Port
Townsend, Washington, and stopping over in Victoria, Canada en
route to Ketchikan, Alaska, this
race challenged participants to
sail, paddle, or swim their way to
Alaska. No motors. No support
boats. No supply drops, or private
hotel overnights, or flock of sea
gals to cheer along the way. Just
the crew, and a boat, and the sea.
Participants entered with everything from large sailboats to standing paddleboards. The race was
expected to take a couple of weeks
at most.
The crew of the Elsie Piddock, a
Farrier F-25 Trimaran won the
race in a staggering five days and
55 minutes, and earned the
$10,000 first prize. Of the 40 who
set out, 15 teams crossed the finish
line, with the Canadian team The Soggy Beavers finishing 7th overall, in a
6-man outrigger canoe.
Inspired by the adventurous spirit of the race, Marcus Alden of Westward
Fishing Company has decided to make a bid for the 2016 race. He founded
Straight on ‘Til Morning, LLC, to use the race as a spring board for promoting marine safety training for fishermen, mariners, families, and school
-aged kids. Marcus grew up sailing, and his race will be about more than
just the Race to Alaska; it will be about helping every seadog out there sail
Straight on ‘Til Morning. The profits of the race funding will be donated to
NPFVOA and AMSEA. NPFVOA and AMSEA both provide incredible
educational tools to help sailors of all levels be safe at sea, and he hopes to
make a big donation to both of these organizations after the race.
Interested to know more? Follow the crew, The Lost Boys, on Facebook
(www.facebook.com/TLBoys), or contact Marcus Alden at marcus@westwardfishing.com to find out how to donate. Lump sum donations
before the race will support the costs to shore her up, and train to sail, with
the rest going to NPFVOA and AMSEA. Become a corporate sponsor,
pledge your support per leg completed, or donate individually and get awesome Lost Boys merchandise!
6
Fall 2015, Issue 91
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program Courses Include:
2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Tim Vincent—President
Vincent Maritime Services
Annemarie Todd
Icicle Seafoods, Inc.
David Wilson—Vice President
F/V Polar Lady
Darrin Manor
United States Seafoods
Jason Brantley—Treasurer
Bank of America
Mark Weed
Golden Alaska Seafoods
Kurt Gremmert
Spartan Ltd.
Jim Woeppel—Legal Counsel
Woeppel Law PLLC
Chris Kline
Alaska Boat Co.
Ken Tippett
Sarah Scherer
Coastal Villages Seafoods
Kevin Kaldestad
Tom Suryan
Mariner Boats
Rich Morgan
Lauren Frey
Servco Pacific Insurance
· STCW Basic Training
· STCW Basic Training Refresher
· STCW 2-Day Basic Firefighting
· STCW Medical Emergencies at Sea
· STCW Personal Survival Techniques
· STCW Personal Safety & Social Responsibility
· STCW 32-Hour Medical Care Provider
· Drill Instructor Workshop
· Drill Instructor Workshop for Small Vessels
· 24-Hour HAZWOPER Technician
· 8-Hour HAZWOPER Refresher
· Specimen Collection Certification
· Shipyard Competent Person
· Shipyard Competent Person Refresher
· 8-Hour Shipboard Damage Control
· Able Seaman
· OSHA Marine 10-Hour
· Shipboard Watertight Door & Hatch Training
Jonathan Parrott —
Technical Advisor
Jensen Maritime Consultants
· OSHA Compliance at the Dock or Shipyard
· Onboard Drill Instructor Workshop
· 2-Hour In-the-Water Survival Training
· Crane Operations & Maintenance
Aaron Harrington
Global Diving & Salvage
· Navigation: Collision Avoidance
· OUPV, 100-Ton and 200-Ton License
· O/B Fire Team Training
Marty Teachout
Katie Knifong
Trident Seafoods
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
Additional custom courses to fit all your
safety training needs!
7
Fall 2015, Issue 91
The NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program is a non-profit association dedicated to education and training in marine safety. Because safety is a concern for everyone in our industry,
NPFVOA seeks membership from an expanded industry sector—commercial fishing, workboats, passenger and recreational vessels, and the businesses that support them.
Company Name:
Vessel Name:
Primary Contact Name & Title:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Would you like to receive information & updates via email?
Yes
No
Would you like us to link to you from our web site?
Yes
No
Web Site:
Please describe the services your company provides:
Vessel Information
Vessel/Gear Type(s)
Target Fisheries
Length (feet):
Tonnage (GRT):
 Vessel (over 79 ft.)
 Vessel (60-79 ft.)
 Vessel (under 60 ft.)
 Associate
$600
$300
$125
$400
 Individual
$75
Benefits apply to all current crew members and management company.
Benefits apply to all current crew members and management company.
Benefits apply to all current crew members and management company.
Benefits apply to business personnel only; vessel crew ineligible at this level.
(Appropriate for marine support industry, e.g., law firms, ship yards, fuel suppliers, etc.)
Benefits are limited to named individual and are non-transferable
(Appropriate for crewmen and single-person business entities.)
NPFVOA Vessel Safety Program
8
Fall 2015, Issue 91